Dossier 7: Algorithmic Colonialism

Most of the digital infrastructures around the world are still controlled and governed by Western companies. What are the causes and consequences of that? In this dossier we explore how algorithmic colonialism operates today and what strategies we can use to resist its extractive tendencies. Lilian Stolk asks people from different places around the world, from Russia to Zimbabwe to China, to give us insights into the internet from their perspective. Margarita Osipian interviews Neema Iyer, founder of technology consulting and development firm Pollicy about how to improve data governance across African countries. Multimedia artist Ibiye Camp takes us into the glitches of her imperfect digital world. We gather initiatives in African countries that are pushing back against algorithmic colonialism. And we share ‘must listen’ podcasts that we discovered while researching this dossier.